2005 Fall - Volume 22 No.2 - Grosse Pointe Historical Society

New Board Members Elected
Six new members were elected to the Board of Trustees at the May
meeting: (left to right) Maud Lyon, Carolyn Candler, Khristi Zimmeth,
Gail Zymslowski, James Conway, and Valerie Dodenhoff.
Carolyn Candler has been in the real estate business for
more than 22 years. She and her family share a great
interest in the ongoing history and preservation of homes.
Her ancestors emigrated from England in the 1840s and
worked as shipbuilders and then the developers of the
sub-division now known as Highland Park. The lived in
the Wayne State University area and then Indian Village.
James Conway recently retired from his positin as the
chief curator for the Detroit Historical Museums, where he
has worked since graduating from Wayne State University
with a degree in anthropology and archeology in 1971.
While working at the branch facility, Historical Fort
Wayne, he coordinated the renovation of the 1880
Commanding Officer’s House, the Spanish American War
Guardhouse, and the Tuskegee Airmen’s Museum. He is
the American Vice President of the International
Algonquin Club. He has consulted on many local historic
preservation and renovation projects, including the
Provencal-Weir House.
Valerie Dodenhoff was born in London, Ontario, and
moved to Grosse Pointe 37 years ago after marrying Dr.
Peter Dodenhoff. Since 1995, she has worked on convention
registration staffs and on special projects for the
Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Maud Lyon came to Detroit in 1987 to be the chief curator
of the Detroit Historical Museums. She served as director
from 1990-1999. In 1999, working with Chairman
Edsel B. Ford II, she founded Detroit 300, the non-profit
organization created to celebrate the 300th anniversary of
Detroit in 2001. From 2002-2003, she was Senior Vice
President for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and now
has her own consulting company, Maud Lyon &
Associates, assisting non-profits in strategic development
and fundraising.
Kristi Zimmeth is an award-winning writer and editor who
has most recently worked for Signature magazine and
Meredith Publications, owner of titles such as Better
Homes & Gardens, Traditional Home, and Country Home.
A former editor of Travel & Leisure magazine in New York
City, she has also freelanced for Bride’s, the Chicago
Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times.
Gail Zymslowski is a life-long Grosse Pointe resident who
is involved in many community organizations. She is a
board member of her sorority alumnae association, Kappa
Kappa Gamma, and also serves on many boards associated
with Lochmoor Club, including golf and swimming. She
lives in Grosse Pointe Shores with her husband, Mark, and
their three children, Bryan, 18, Kara, 11, and Lisa, 9.
The purpose of the
Grosse Pointe Historical Society
is to preserve and promote
the history of the
Grosse Pointe Community.
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